we walk with fairy tales closed and already told
by strangesmallbard
Summary: "The ones who did nothing to earn their heroism, were just good by default. The evil one never had a reason, the evil one was just was. And so the Evil Queen didn't get love, whether it be the love of a child or a love of a lover, because they just were."


**A/N: I give you the results of my newest obsession...enjoy.**

***EDITED* 12/1/11**

And so the Evil Queen lost.

That was how the stories always ended, didn't they? The evil thing was vanquished, and they all lived happily ever after. They, meaning the good ones of course. The ones who did nothing to earn their heroism, were just good by default. The evil one never had a reason, the evil one was just was. And so the Evil Queen didn't get love, whether it be the love of a child or a love of a lover, because they just were. Fairytales were so black and white, day and night.

The sounds of the party seemed to echo in Regina's ear. She dared not join in, the Evil Queen didn't get to have parties. The Evil Queen melted in a ditch somewhere, alone. And so she stood, alone.

But enough of the self pitying.

The piece of glass weighed heavily in her hands. It had some significance, that was certain. The feel of it was so similar she could almost see it. See her, the Evil Queen. Skin pale as snow, but eyes dark as sin, a cloak laced with blood of innocents-

She dropped the glass when the feeling threatened to overwhelm her. The loss of it in her hands relieved her almost immediately, and the chill finally settled in. Where the chill even came from, she hardly knew, but some sort of pride prevented her from joining the small campfire the party had settled down to. She shivered.

"Hey."

The voice seemed cautious, wary. Regina narrowed her eyes. She had every reason to be cautious, it was her after all that ruined everything.

"Look...I just want to say…" She trailed off, and that was when Regina finally looked at her.

Her own eyes caught Emma's and her breath hitched. Emma Swan's eyes looked like glass in the moonlight. Her cheeks held an almost attractive blush. And still Emma looked almost wary. Almost. It was more, really, that she seemed to searching for in fact the right words to say and found herself with none. Their gazes refused to unlock.

"What is it, Deputy Swan, I do not have all night." Regina snapped, breaking the eye contact.

Emma rolled her eyes.

"Madame Mayor, with all do respect, I helped save your son tonight. So quit with the rudeness for about a few minutes while I say this, alright?"

Now it was Regina who looked wary. She nodded.

Emma breathed, and started her speech looking up at the stars.

"I know you care about him, Henry. I can see that now."

Regina almost looked shocked. _What exactly had she seen before? _

Another shiver passed through her.

"But even though I didn't raise him and I'm not his mom, you are. And you've proven that however unorthodox your methods are but...he is still my son. That probably doesn't really make sense. I can't explain it any other way. And he's confused, very confused right now. I want to...help him. Be a part of his life, I don't know. He did seek me out if you remember. But I do care about him, it just took me a bit longer to realize that."

Emma's eyes searched hers, seeking her humanity in it all. Regina turned away. It was one of things that she had very little control over, humanity. It unnerved her.

"And...I think you're starting to realize that I do. And I think you're afraid of that. But being that petty and just completely cruel to each other isn't going to help him. It isn't going to make this situation any better. ….look can we just be…pleasant to each other? I think Henry might start to see you as less of the Evil Queen if he sees us playing nice." Emma tapered off, not sure if she had chosen the right words. She still stood her ground, refusing to let her words not be acknowledged at all. Her eyes were soft. The contradiction in her stance confused Regina to no end.

Him stop seeing her as the Evil Queen? Isn't that what she wanted? Yes, yes of course. She wanted her son to stop seeing her as the bad guy, even though she had raised him from birth and had given him all that she could. And what she also wanted was for Emma Swan to go away, and to _stop looking at her like that_, with so much astuteness combined with obvious love for Henry that it was almost hard to discern one from the other. And then beyond that there was this...pity for her written behind the features on her face. For the person she was. Or had become. Or always was. She truly didn't know, couldn't know. Or was it even pity? Or could it possibly be the guilt from knowing the good guys had won without even trying _again_. Henry loved Emma simply because. But if the good guy liked the bad guy, perhaps this paradigm could be broken?

She was willing to try.

Good God, now even she was buying into this fairytale nonsense.

Suddenly the lack of the glass in her hand made her wonder if that was her last vestige of control. Perhaps she had to let go and wonder and imagine to have her son back. Because the Evil Queen was the one who didn't believe in happy endings, and good god Regina _wanted to believe in them so badly-_

"Hey, are you alright?"

It took Emma's almost soft, slightly confused voice, so different from her usual tone, to make her realize she was crying. Or not crying perhaps, because she honestly couldn't remember the last time she cried. But still the tears came pouring out, slipping down her cheeks without her permission. She worked quick to wipe them away.

"Yes, I think you are correct. What we have done is...it, well, it won't help him. We'll...play nice as you said. For him." And for her.

There was a pause, full of that tenseness that seemed to always linger when they talked. It ran into the coldness of the night, but Regina found heat rising in her face. She needed to stop this. Emma needed to _just stop looking at her like-_

"I'm not trying to take him away, you know." Emma reminded, quietly.

Regina refused to respond.

"You do not have to be standing here with me, Deputy Swan. Please, just...go back to the party."

Her voice was shaking slightly as she spoke.

"Nah, it's dying down." She almost grinned. "Besides I think you should know, Henry is about to fall asleep…seriously are you alright?" Emma's moonlight eyes were concerned. No, no, just disbelieving that the Evil Queen had emotions at all. Bewildered that she might. Imagine that, the good guy is showing concern for the evil one...

Probably without thinking, Emma reached forward and brushed away another escaped tear on her cheek. Regina jerked her face away as the contact caused a shiver down her spine. Emma's hand sprung back, as if stung. Her face looked surprised at her own actions.

_Damn, damn, damn…._

Regina wiped away the traces of her weakness. Her stoic mask of snow pale white and harshness settled in.

"Well, then, I need to get him home. Excuse me, Deputy Swan-" She turned away.

"Emma."

She turned back.

"What?"

"Call me Emma."

She probably looked startled as she sought out the glass-like eyes in the moonlight, and found herself nodding.

"Emma…alright then."

Emma held out a hand, and Regina shook it tentatively. They lingered for a bit before simultaneously dropping hands. Regina nodded again, not really knowing what to say, and went to retrieve her son.

Their son? Maybe. Perhaps.

Maybe someday Regina would be just Regina someday to Emma without any games or lies, and maybe just Mom to Henry.

But that wasn't how fairytales ended. And as long as the Evil Queen was in her shadow, and was in the mirror, and followed her, they would end as they always had.


End file.
